My first homepage went live in 1998. It was vibrant and loud, a playground of possibilities in a new medium that prioritized creativity over conventions. I embraced this freedom to experiment, learn, and express myself. Over the years, the website evolved — becoming more minimal and refined, reflecting the shifts in my personal and professional journey. Here, I write about topics that inspire me both professionally and personally: artificial intelligence, product development, digital innovations, and everything in between.
Perhaps less colorful than 25 years ago, but hopefully just as engaging.
Why I believe a homepage still relevant in 2025
When I built my first website, there weren’t many ways to share your ideas with the online world. MySpace and Facebook weren’t even a twinkle in their founders’ eyes yet, and the internet was basically a playground for the technologically curious. Over time, more and more platforms emerged, allowing people to communicate in every possible medium. Let’s take a quick peek at some of the major players and their launch dates:
| Launch Year | Platform | Overview |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Blogger | Blogging platform for creating and managing personal blogs. |
| 2003 | MySpace | Social networking focused on personal profiles and music sharing. |
| 2003 | Professional networking for career development and industry connections. | |
| 2004 | Social networking for connecting friends and sharing diverse content. | |
| 2004 | Flickr | Photo sharing and hosting platform for photographers and enthusiasts. |
| 2005 | Community-driven discussions and content sharing across various topics. | |
| 2005 | YouTube | Video sharing and streaming platform for user-generated content. |
| 2006 | Microblogging for real-time updates and short text-based posts. | |
| 2007 | Tumblr | Microblogging platform for multimedia content and creative communities. |
| 2007 | SoundCloud | Online audio distribution platform enabling users to share original music. |
| 2008 | Spotify | Music streaming service. |
| 2010 | Visual discovery and bookmarking for ideas and inspirations. | |
| 2010 | Photo and video sharing with a focus on visual storytelling. | |
| 2011 | Snapchat | Ephemeral photo and video sharing with augmented reality features. |
| 2012 | Medium | Platform for publishing and reading long-form written content. |
| 2015 | Discord | Voice, video, and text communication for communities and gamers. |
| 2016 | Mastodon | Decentralized, open-source social networking with federated servers. |
| 2016 | TikTok | Short-form video sharing with a focus on creative and viral content. |
| 2022 | Bluesky | Decentralized microblogging platform emphasizing open protocols. |
| 2023 | Threads | Text-based social networking focused on threaded conversations. |
Each of these services is phenomenal—many of them free or ad-supported. I use a bunch of them daily and can hardly imagine living without them. My morning routine? Coffee in one hand, LinkedIn in the other. When I go for a run, I pump a podcast through Spotify. I spiral down random rabbit holes on Reddit about highly specific (and inexplicably fascinating) topics, and I hop over to YouTube whenever I need a quick fix on how to unclog my washing machine. There’s a perfect platform out there for every kind of content, so the possibilities for creative minds are limitless.
A shift from creating to consuming
However, I’ve also noticed how all these platforms—and the growing appeal of the internet to a wider audience—have changed our usage habits. There’s a steady shift from creating to consuming. It’s so easy to get lost in the avalanche of amazing content other people produce. If something doesn’t immediately thrill you, just flick your thumb and on to the next entertaining short! We’re practically doomscrolling our free time away. Social media addiction is officially recognized as a disease for a reason.
Thanks to Twitter, I’ve gotten used to compressing everything into bite-sized statements—which is a blast, of course. Anyone who’s ever had a viral tweet knows that rush. But our thoughts aren’t just shrinking on Twitter; they’re shrinking in our heads, too.
So, as my New Year’s resolution, I’ve decided to carve out more time to explore my own thoughts and ideas—and then polish them into something sharable. It’s quite the challenge in a world of constant context-switching and digital distractions, but I’m determined to stick my phone on airplane mode and give myself the headspace to read, learn, and bring fresh ideas to life.
I’m absolutely thrilled about it. Let’s do this!